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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Charles Arthur

Want a lightsaber? Next best thing - Star Wars on the Wii

From the Department of Easy Enough To Predict: LucasArts has announced that the "next-generation action adventure" of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be coming to the Wii, as well as the PS3 and Xbox 360 (and Nintendo DS and PSP and PS2).

Difference is with the Wii version that yes, next year when it's released, you'll be able to wave the Wiimote around and get that authentic yeum-yeum noise of a lightsaber. (Light saber? Sabre?) The nunchuk, meanwhile, will let you enact your character's force powers. In the case of Yoda, this would presumably mean spinning high in the air and sentences backwards speaking in.

Apparently the game will be set in the period between Star Wars III and IV (so, after the creation of Darth Vader - when the whole galaxy has for years sort-of ruled by Jedi masters using Da Force - but before the period when Han Solo, certainly 20 years older than Luke Skywalker, can say he's flown the length and breadth of the galaxy and never heard people talk about a "Force". That make any sense to you?) and you will play Darth Vader's "apprentice".

The idea of the Wiimote as a lightsaber has been obvious since the box came out - and as I wrote in January:

If I were at Sony, I'd be rather worried, and have a crash team working on lending the PS3 some Wii-ness, to go on sale right away. And if there isn't someone out there writing a Star Wars game for the Wii, complete with light sabre duels, I'd just like to say: start now and you'll make a killing next Christmas.


I still think all of that is true - though the killing at Christmas has been delayed; originally due in November, The Force Unleashed has been delayed to next spring. Gah.

Read more on the game's website. There's also a nifty video trailer on its front page.

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